AVP, Client Solutions, Australia

Job Description

The Role

The AVP, Client Solutions, Protection, Australia plays a pivotal role in managing external client relationships and internal stakeholder engagements. This individual is the 'business owner' for key strategic clients and partners within Australia across both Group and Retail. The role requires strong stakeholder management as a key member of the business, while developing and delivering high-quality reinsurance solutions within the market. The AVP is expected to assist the VP in fostering a dynamic team environment that is solution orientated, focused on identifying and capitalizing on market opportunities through robust client engagement, and requires strong negotiation skills to retain existing clients and win new business.

Additionally, with our technology partner UnderwriteMe and as a global reinsurer, the AVP should actively participate in the development of solutions utilising other regions and function's expertise, collaborating with  the wider business to help drive the implementation of strategy . This role requires a proactive approach to client management and a strong ability to build and maintain lasting partnerships.

Duties

1. Be the 'business owner' (lead) on a number of our key clients, in line with Protection Partnership Management Framework, ensuring we deliver on our partnership promises.

Be 'hungry' and focused on opportunities to develop new business in Australia by maintaining regular (and impactful) contact with reinsurance decision makers and maintaining a high level of market awareness

New Business

• Actively seek out and develop relationships with non clients, including both insurers where we don't have business and entities which may provide opportunities for partnering to enhance our offering and drive growth (e.g. through enhancing distribution capabilities)
• Represent PL Re in relevant industry bodies/forums/conferences

Existing Clients

• Build a deep understanding of the strategy and priorities of our strategic clients, ensuring that we have effective client strategies in place, demonstrating clear understanding of their needs and how they align with our own
• Ensure that we deliver on our service and partnership promises to existing clients
• Building strong working relationships with both key day-to-day and senior management contacts at clients, demonstrating visibility personally and on behalf of PL Re.
• Maintain cultural alignment in approach to client management, acting as partners not suppliers, exercising pragmatism, being creative and solution driven in meeting client needs/objectives.
• Ensure there is effective preparation and follow-up, effective chairing of meetings and collaboration with team members to ensure consistency of approach across markets.

2. Support the VP, Client Solutions with the development and implementation of new business growth strategies and client retention initiatives and strategies aligned to the Partnership Management Framework.

Determine and implement solutions to client problems including strong collaboration with UnderwriteMe and actively seeking to leverage UnderwriteMe to improve our proposition
 

3. Assisting the VP with coaching and developing each team member to achieve team and company goals as well as individual performance standards and objectives;

Building and maintaining effective relationships with key stakeholders at all levels of the business.

4. Assist the Manager, Enablement to execute our governance and risk practices through all activities within the team.

The incumbent is also expected to assist the VP to ensure that a culture of risk management is in place such that all members of the team exhibit strong risk culture and awareness with open/healthy challenge and a proactive approach to identifying, fixing and learning from control failures.

Essential Qualifications & Experience

Knowledge

• Qualified Actuary preferred
• Proven experience in the Australia, ideally including experience in pricing and/or product development with a direct insurer or reinsurer. 
• Excellent knowledge of the insurance market in Australia
• Respected industry presence with strong contacts at Australian insurers
• Good working knowledge of Life & Disability Insurance industry regulations

Leadership Skills

• Able to demonstrate a proven track record of proactive decision making
• Ability to establish objectives and build, develop and lead / influence a team towards these objectives
• Very strong communication (written and verbal) and presentation skills, and ability to deliver difficult/challenging messages
• Ability to quickly cut through detail and focus on what is important, being decisive and accountable
• Tenacious, driven and resilient, able to manage and balance the needs of multiple stakeholders.

Commercial Judgement

• Strong analytical skills combined with sound judgement and commercial awareness
• Proven ability to "think outside the box" to derive new and innovative approaches to insurance problems
• Ability and desire to communicate with business customers at all levels across the business and to work well within a team environment
• Organised, conscientious, and deadline focused with an attention to detail
• Ability to manage competing demands and deal with non-standard and unstructured requests, at short notice
• Motivated to take ownership of work and to seek further responsibility

Working For Pacific Life Re

Every person in our global team is valued for the unique qualities they bring to our business and we seek to build their expertise and support their individual ambitions at every step. Of course, we take our work seriously and we know our team can operate under great pressure. We work hard and thrive on achievement, but we also know how to have fun and relax too. We regularly host a range of team building days to strengthen our team's connection with each other and reflect on their successes.

Providing employees with a healthy work-life balance is very important to our culture. We have a wide range of employee benefits and we host regular social activities and well being initiatives. We are also committed to supporting our employee's involvement in their communities, by actively fundraising, hosting charity events and overseeing volunteering opportunities.

Benefits

Leave

• 20+5 days of annual leave with option to buy more days

• Fertility leave 

• Generous enhanced parental leave  

Healthcare

• The Company's Group Salary Continuance Insurance (SCI)/Income Protection (IP) provides you with a continued salary, through monthly Benefit payments, in order to protect your standard of living should you be unable to work due to long term illness, injury or partial/total disability

Wellness

• Subsidized gym membership 

• Access to Employee Assistance Program 

• Time off for volunteering 

• Charitable matching of employee donations 

As part of our commitment to diversity and inclusion, we will provide reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process to ensure equal access to applicants with disabilities. Please contact us about your needs so that we can discuss these with you to make sure that suitable adjustments are made, where possible.

Pacific Life Re Values

Please click here to view our company values